Messages of support

John Boyne

For someone whose life is filled with reading and writing, the notion of an entire day where the world celebrates books isa good one to me. I hope that World Book Day will encourage more people to lose themselves in the pages of a book this year.

Don Conroy

Whether I'm searching for lost treasure in the Sierra Madras or watching Blue Whales through the periscope of my submarine, a book can take me to all these magical places from the safety of my own sitting room.

World Book Day is like Valentine's Day for books. It reminds us how much we love them, how important books are to us and encourages us to pop down to our local library or book store and go on another adventure. I think I'll go to Space next.
 

Judi Curtin

An afternoon in November mid-term. It was dull and dreary even before the power cut. At the back of a cupboard, I found my childhood copy of Heidi. I lit all the candles I could find, and daughter and I lay on the couch, taking turns to read aloud. All we had was a tattered old book and our imaginations, but soon I could almost hear the tinkling of Heidi's goats' bells, above the wailing of the wind.
 

A world without books doesn't even bear thinking about.

Denise Deegan

You don't need a rocket ship to reach the moon. Or an oxygen tank to explore the deep. You don't need a time machine to ride the Wild West. Or an interpreter to understand a child from Afghanistan. All you need is a book.

Maeve Friel

You’re off to great places!  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way!”  These are the  closing lines of Dr. Seuss’s last book, “Oh, the Places you’ll Go!” and also a reminder of the infinity of places we can travel to within the pages of a book. Start a new one right now.  And if you are not already a member of your local library, join at once. There is more treasure in it than in all the pirates’ loot in Treasure Island.
Happy World Book Day, everyone.

Brendan Fullam

My son was hailed by his friend John in the shopping centre.  He took him aside and said "I bought your Dad's book Lest We Forget yesterday.  I took it home intending to read a few chapters that night.  I started and couldn't put it down. I finished reading the book at 4a.m.  I was re-living a world I had known so well ---delightful, nostalgic.

Niamh Greene

If I had my way, every day would be World Book Day because what could be better than curling up with a good read and immersing yourself in the story? A great book can make you laugh or cry, sometimes simultaneously. It can transport you to far flung destinations, or it can take you on an inner journey back to your own heart. You never know what you’ll discover or how the story will end, but that’s half the fun because the truth is you can never be lonely when you have a book to read. So this World Book Day why not pick up a book and lose yourself for an hour or two – who knows what could happen?

Cathy Kelly

Conor Kostick

Think about your early reading experiences: the joy of choosing from among so many exciting titles and taking a book home with you; being able to lie in comfort by a window against which the rain is beating, while safe and dry you journey with Harald Sigurdson through black storms and over bitter waves; or spending a holiday afternoon escaping through the back of a large wardrobe into a land of witches and talking animals. No film or computer game can match a good book because only the book takes you in to the mind of the character, sharing their experiences and emotions.

Judy May

As a celebration of communication and creativity around the planet, World Book Day is even more important now than it has ever been.  It's greatest value is in the way it brings authors, readers of all ages and tastes, publishers, book sellers, teachers, librarians and the media together with the single focus of remembering the treasures and opportunities that books continue to provide.

Oisin McGann

We live in stories, we live through stories, we live for stories. Whatever we like to think about, talk to our friends about, shout about, laugh or cry or rage about, these are the things we like to read about. Books are the most interesting, most dramatic and exciting bits of life laid out in words and pictures for us to take in at our own pace and in our own way. Because the best parts of any book are inside our own heads, they can be fast or slow, loud or quiet, funny or sad – or so exciting our hearts pound beneath our ribs. Whether we read them on a crowded train or alone under the covers on a stormy night, books are food for our brains, fuel for our emotions.

Somewhere out there is a book which, when you read it, will make your chest tighten and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. When you finally put it down, it will be with that magical mixture of joy as the emotional rollercoaster clatters to a stop, and disappointment that this wonderful tale is over. You will be gagging for the next one.

There is no such person as a non-reader, only someone who hasn't found their book yet. World Book Day is the day when we try to find that book for each and every person in the country.

Marita Conlon McKenna

People celebrate all kinds of things from Birthdays to Weddings, St Patricks Day to Pancake Day, so having a day to celebrate books across the world seems a great idea!

Books are the things that make us laugh and cry, be sad or happy, scared or amazed.

They make us ask questions and want to find out about things or fill our heads with stories and use our imagination.

We clap and cheer when babies learn to smile and sit, walk and talk but one of the most important things any child learns to do is to look at a book, to turn the page, then to try to say the words and then begin to read.  A simple thing but one of the most important things most of us will ever learn to do.

Across the world writers create stories and write books that make us want to sit down and read them. Books about Baby Owls, boy Wizards, little witches, spy kids, an elephant and a monkey, books about mermaids, dragons ghosts and giants all come tumbling from the pages of books.

So the only thing to be recommended on World Book Day is to celebrate and sit right down and pick up a book and read it!

Kathryn McKiernan

Reading is pure escapism for me. No matter what your age, whether you prefer fact or fiction, join the magic and wonder of World Book Day. Working with children on a daily basis I’ve seen first hand how books and reading can open up a whole new world for young people; a world I hope many more will explore thanks to this day. Enjoy!

Gareth McNamara

Books, books, books...where can one begin when describing the wonderful things that are books. Books spread ideas and stories, inform, enlighten, thrill, fascinate, excite. Books fuel our imagination and transport us off to new places and situations. Books possess the most immense power- the power to make us laugh or cry, to scare us or to reassure us, to keep us on the edge of our seats, hanging on every single word. All this power, contained in those bound printed pages. Books contain more than simple letters arranged neatly into words on paper. Books are the cradle of creativity and knowledge. Books contain whole worlds. And these worlds, these innumerable universes are all at our fingertips. All we have to do is reach out and turn the page.

World Book Day reminds us of all this, and gives us the gentle nudge to read those first few sentences that are the gateway to another realm.

Happy reading!

Anita Notaro

Two years ago, on World Book Day I heard that my latest book TAKE A LOOK AT ME NOW had been shortlisted for POPULAR FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR at the IRISH BOOK AWARDS. I felt it was a good sign, so I told everyone I knew to go out and buy a book to celebrate the day. Well, some of them must have bought mine because it went straight to No. 1 on the best-seller list and a few weeks later I won the award (two firsts for me). So this year I’m giving book tokens to everyone for birthdays, anniversaries, whatever in an effort to give something back. Reading is such a treat and I’m lucky enough to be both a writer and a reader. So go on, get reading and if you’re one of the hundreds of people I meet every year who tell me they want to write a book themselves then make TODAY the day you start. You’ll never look back, I promise!

 Olive O'Brien

The wonderful thing about reading is that it allows you to escape into another world. As a child, I couldn't wait to pick out new books in the library. Thankfully, my passion for reading has stayed with me. World Book Day is a fantastic time to start reading a new book, so happy reading everyone!

Sheila O'Flanagan

There hasn't been a day since I first learned to read that I haven't had one (or more) books on the go. Reading has given me  great pleasure over the years and I hope that my own writing gives the same pleasure to other readers. You are never alone when you have a book to read!

Darren Shan

“Books are terrible! Books are full of hair-raising action, gut-churning plot twists, and no-details-spared nookie. Books are more radical, edgier and sexier than films or TV shows. Books are far too exciting and revolutionary for children – they encourage free-thought and independence. I think books should be banned outright for anyone under the age of 18. Do society a favour and burn a book on World Book Day! If we succeed in our mission to get rid of all the books in the world, every child will grow up into a soulless, imaginationless robot, and just think how much happier we’ll all be then!!!"

 Michael Smith

Surprise yourself - open a book and open your mind to a new world. Rememebr, the best pictures are in the mind.

 John Travers

Good luck with World Book Day 2010, I hope it's a fantastic success. A good read is one of life's greatest and sometimes forgotten pleasures.

Sarah Webb

World Book Day is a fantastic way of celebrating books and reading and I support it 100%. When I was a on-the-floor children's bookseller I loved seeing all the kids coming in clutching their tokens and getting their special book. Now the World Book Day books are even better - I can't wait to read Jenny Valentine's story, I'm a big fan. Good luck to everyone involved in World Book Day 2010 and I hope it's a huge success for you all!